Staten Island merchants display home-grown art works

Visitors to Nonna's Old Fashioned Pizzeria in Great Kills check out a collection of artwork by local artists as part of the South Shore Local Development Corporation's (LDC) Art in the Towns campaign.
Staten Island Advance/Mark Stein

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - SOUTH SHORE - Businesses throughout Great Kills, Eltingville and Annadale are doubling up – as pop-up museums.

Last month, as part of the South Shore Local Development Corporation's (LDC) Art in the Towns campaign, more than 75 artists participated by dropping off paintings and portraits of businesses, parks and other town-specific features in three South Shore neighborhoods.

Drop-off locations included Nonna's Old Fashioned Pizzeria in Great Kills, Nove in Eltingville, and the Annadale Diner. Collections were made over the weekend of June 22 and 23.

The art was then dropped off at one of three locations where it was, in turn, given to merchants in each town to display in their stores. Each artists received $50 courtesy of the Richmond County Savings Foundation for the efforts.

Some of the works included a painting of the Great Kills train station, the Curly Wolf Saloon in Annadale, Top Tomato in Great Kills, Annadale Green, the park in the center of Annadale town, the Eltingville Boulevard street sign, and a Nelson Avenue barber shop.

"The program garnered a lot of support," said Anthony Rapacciuolo, executive director of the South Shore LDC. "The pieces of art were absolutely beautiful and we thank the artists who participated over the weekend, as well as Councilman Vinny Ignizio (R-South Shore), the (Staten Island Economic Development Corporation), and Richmond County Savings Foundation for developing the idea. We intend to have all of the art distributed to the merchants this week, and encourage Islanders to look for it when patronizing stores in the area."

"I think it was a great idea," said Mo Elgaly, owner of M&M Bagels in Annadale. "It's a unique way to help promote local businesses in the area, and we are proud to display the painting of our deli in our store for everyone to see."

The South Shore LDC encourages people to visit businesses in these neighborhoods to view the artists' work.

For more information on the South Shore LDC's effort, as well as upcoming events, visit www.southshoreldc.org.